A man who threw an alleged fare dodger off a train has found fame on the internet after the incident was captured on camera and uploaded to YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 450,000 times. While his actions might be viewed by some as the little man striking back in the face of antisocial behaviour, in this case his imposing frame earned him the nickname "big man".

The incident took place on a ScotRail train from Edinburgh to Perth on 9 December, according to the video's introduction.

The conductor tells a young man that his ticket is not valid and repeatedly tells him to leave the train, prompting a stream of abuse from the man in response. As the impasse continues, preventing the train from leaving, a fellow passenger intervenes, asking the conductor: "Do you want me to get him off for you?" When the conductor says yes, the passenger grabs the young man, pushes him towards the door before unceremoniously throwing him onto the platform. As he walks back down the carriage, passengers break into applause with one thanking him: "Cheers, big man."

While the actions of "big man" have won him a number of admirers online, others have criticised him for a violent overreaction.

A ScotRail spokesman said: "While we welcome the public's support of our zero-tolerance stance on antisocial behaviour, our staff are trained in conflict management and we do not expect members of the public to take matters into their own hands." It added that it was investigating the incident.